Front yard from street:

Slightly closer view from the steet (tree in middle of front yard is a weeping cherry and parkway tree is a burr oak):

Front of house (bed on left contains two knockout rose bushes; bed on right contains three yews, two small bushes with dark red leaves and thorns, and a redbud tree which probably need to be moved)

Front right bed again and side bed containing knockout rose bushes:

Left side of driveway. Balsam tree probably needs to be moved as it is too close to driveway (7'). Lot line runs back to fence. House next door is corner house so their back faces our side (no trees in their backyard)

Thanks everyone for your help! This site has been incredible and I plan on creating a new thread on all that I leaned when these projects are finished!

Also, you might find you pick up a lot of good ideas by browsing other threads. On this forum we've seen a lot of houses with front garages, and if you do a search for the word Garage you might be able to spend a day browsing them. If you are on the trees forum or other plant or region-specific forums, you will also find buckets of info just perusing existing threads. It's fun, and great learning. It means that you learn from questions other people have asked and had answered and don't have to come up with each question, nor rely on a respondent for each of them to come along to your thread.

Your doorway is a real strength relative to many such houses because it is not tucked right into the corner and is not excessively recessed. Don't let your plantings negate that advantage. Leave the doorway open-feeling; don't close it in with plantings right in front of it or beside it. Do your plantings away from the door and your house will look better, more welcoming, and your yard cozier.

Also an excellent advantage that you have a wide sideyard on the left of the driveway. Many people don't! You would be amazed at how much that strip will affect the overall appearance of your yard if you put some serious attention there.

As for design, I have used the word "iterative" before and I'll use it again. The biggest step you can take toward having your design advance is to shop for plants and then actually do some planting. I know your season doesn't allow for much yet, mind you. But just in terms of formatting your expectations: the things that will play into the right design for you include: what kinds of plants do you really enjoy? What is your gardening personality in terms of maintenance? These are things that will become clear as you make, buy for, and install one bed after another, and by what things bug you about what is already there. As Laag, a regular poster here in the past, has previously said, just putting something in the ground gives you something to react to, and so much is obvious from that point forward that 125 responses on a thread can fail to get you to.

So the process tends to be that you sketch a design, buy some plants, plant them, take care of them... and then see where that takes you. Trust the journey!

Karin L

I wonder if Karin means the SIZE of the pictures as they are a little large (I usually cut yours by 50 - 60%.) But other than that, your pictures are great in showing the areas clearly. I've made suggestions on several of them so will just get started posting, with comments interleaved.

In your plan view, my yellow dashed lines suggest (I think I'm agreeing with Karin here) that the view should be funneled to the entrance area. Therefore, I would move the weeping cherry to the right. As you'll see also in another photo, I would move spruce to left (as it's going to get very large and eat into the driveway space.) The blue bed lines are suggestions for creating beds and re-configuring beds. (The sides of the house have very large blank spaces that would look better with plantings against them, and from the front view would help keep house from looking naked.) (Hmmmm....I wonder why I drew some canopies in red and some in green... ?)

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I'm leaving the existing redbud as you have it. One the R. side, I'm showing 3--let's call them tree form large shrubs--could be single or multi-trunk--arranged in staggered fashion with two back, one central forward. They're limbed up high (so as not to feel "gloomy" against the house and to allow for growing a hedge of low shrubs behind...something cheerful, relatively low, and loose, with light flowers or foliage. There would be a ground cover below. To fit all this in you either have to widen the bed (reconfigure retaining wall) or add bed in front of it. (I think former solution is better.) As it is, the existing bed is pinched tight--too tight--up against the house. Plants will want to overhang that tight space.

On R side of house there are 3 yews and the third is hanging beyond the foundation. I would put it to good use by relocating it to L side of door in place of roses. Add another one and create a hedge for L. windows. Though it's forward of the right side, it will look same from street. Keep yews trimmed low as there's no reason to hide any stonework. At garage, place something with a little height to balance out the emptiness of the blank wall. Could even be a diminutive "tree form" (just the front half as it's up against the wall.) How about a little color at each side of stoop? But do not crowd entrance area. Where the Yew is now overhanging the corner, need something bright and different. I cannot help thinking of 'Annabelle' hydrangea (cuz I luv her so!) but there would be umpteen more possibilities.
The left bed would be greatly improved by simplifying and smoothing out that bed line/retaining wall. Add a very low groundcover and, done. Almost forgot... someday... somehow, widen the front entry walk. It is way too narrow. Keep the Redbud limbed up 1/2-way--at least yearly--as it grows to its position. Try to do that before it leafs out, if possible.

Karin... you are such a free spirit!

1. All rose are knockout roses (I just have designated them in the plan).

2. I also forgot to add we will be adding a gate on the south side (right) entrance to the backyard.

3. Can I plant the balsam that close to the neighbor's lot line? It's already 7 feet from driveway so that only leaves 4' between it and the neighbors lot line as it is planted today.

4. Isn't the weeping cheery to large to transplant? It's my wife's pride and joy so we can't lose it!

Have a great evening!

It's already 7 feet from driveway... 7' from the driveway means that when it's canopy is 20' diameter (which it WILL become... whether spruce, fir or whatever) then 3' will be hanging over into the driveway. Unless you intend to limb it up, tree form fashion, from the get-go, it's going to encroach on the driveway. Moving it to the lot line only delays, somewhat, this eventuality. Better for you...give the tree to neighbor and plant 20' from your drive!... I'm just sayin' : ) As a practical maneuver, the best you can do is move it over and delay the conflict. Take a look at a typical neighborhood satellite view. EVERYONE'S plants at the lot line bleed into the neighbors' yards. It's just how it is. And it's not necessarily a bad thing. Often, a neighbor's plants provide positive attributes--screening, beauty, shade, etc--to one's own yard. Though neighbors have the right to cut off what crosses over into their yard, this rarely happens, because they accept or like the positive attributes of the plant. It's likely that your neighbor's maples (back yard) are going to cross into your yard. But they will be contributing to screening for you... and you will have trees competing back. It unlikely that you (or they) would find the way things "blend" to be unsettling.

1. The burr oak on the parkway was planted too deep (by the city). I have a thread on the "Trees" section where a couple of members are helping me fix the problem and also prune the oak for better growth.

2. The grass along the driveway and on both parkways grows poorly. It turns out that there are chunks of asphalt buried a few inches below the surface prohibiting growth. I plan on digging up the areas and replanting grass.

3. We would like to add landscaping around mailbox. Right now we have a clump of grass planted and usually plant annual flowers.

4. I feel like we need to move the balsam and plant it somewhere to the right of the driveway. We really like the tree (it's a transplant from northern Wisconsin) and would like to decorate it at Christmas time.

5. Once we move the spruce we will be really open to the neighbors to the north. While we aren't nearly as worried about privacy in the front as the back, the neighbor to the north is on the corner and their backyard faces our side. It's a great big barren area (see below) They just moved in last summer so we no idea if they will landscape or not.

We are the house on right with temporary pool in backyard:

6. The bed to the left of the front door poses problems. It has a 4' overhang roof so anything planted near the foundation does not get rainwater. I would imagine we would need to put some sort of hardscape (fountain, waterfall, statue) etc to make it look correct. I'm not sure how a yew would look in front of it.

7. If we plant trees on the south side of the house, will the knock-out roses still grow?

8. We would like to plant a tree to the north (left of the driveway) on the parkway (the city only supplies one). It would have to be close to the driveway (6' or so). The trees we can choose from, per the city, are as follows:
Northern Catalpa
Hybrid Elm (Varieties: Valley Forge, Princeton, New Harmony, Homestead, Morton, Morton Glossy)
Ginkgo (Varieties: Autumn Gold, Magyar, or 'Princeton Sentry)
Common Hackberry (Varieties: Chicagoland, Windy City)
Kentucky Coffeetree (Varieties: Espresso, Prairie Titan)
Linden (Varieties: American, Silver Shadow, Sterling)
Bur Oak or Swamp White Oak, Chinquapin
Red Maple (Varieties: Autumn Flame, Franksred, October Glory, Red Sunset, Armstrong)
Thornless Honeylocust Varieties: Skyline, Shademaster, Suncole)
Turkish Filbert

Thanks as always and have a great Friday!

You mention moving spruce and fir so I guess you're talking about the evergreen at left of drive. I would positively NOT put this in front of the house. Unless your goal is to obliterate the street view to your house, eliminating the possibility of curb appeal in the future.

The roses on S. side do almost nothing for the big blank wall. Resolve the wall in an manner that works, first, and then see if roses fit in. I don't think they do so I'd find another spot for them. Another shrub would work much better.

At the bed left of door with overhang. Plant yews (to match) right at the drip line so they'll get water. They will grow back toward the house. There'll be a vacant space behind them for a while, but eventually, they will fill it in. Especially, since you'll be keeping their height down. They have to grow somewhere and they'll go outward in all directions.

Seeing the satellite view confirms (at least to me) my belief that you need to push the fir/spruce or whatever it is to the lot line. It looks like chances of possible lot line planting conflicts here is extremely low to non-existent.

The city's burr oak planting depth does not look sufficiently troublesome to do much, if anything, about it. My $ say it adjusts and prospers with normal care.

Here's how to transplant the cherry tree (it's kind of like cutting a cookie out of a surrounding sheet of dough) ...

You'll need a tarp to set the tree on once it's out of the ground and for transporting it. Use a SHARPENED "drain spade."
It's a shovel with a long (16") narrow blade that is slightly curved across its width. You can sharpen its leading edge with a metal file if it needs sharpening. You'll cut straight into the soil around the tree in a 2' diameter (could be a little less) circle using the spade at an angle so that the resulting root ball will be tapered inward. (See my sketch below.) Do not rush this cutting process. Depending on the resistance of the soil and roots you may need to cut around the circle several times in order to completely separate the root ball from the surrounding soil. The goal is to penetrate the shovel to it's full depth... completely around the circle. While doing this, it's very important not to use the shovel in a "prying" kind of motion. It must penetrate straight in, at the angle as shown, and straight out at the same angle. You may have to push hard to cut the larger roots. If you can't penetrate to the full depth, you'll be able to penetrate further with each pass, until eventully you can. I'd say figure on 3 times around completely to do the job.

You'll be able to tell when the root ball is severed from the surrounding soil, as by then, the spade will easily penetrate the cut line and there will be little resistance when you try to remove the tree from the hole. Obviously, you will not be able to cut the very bottom of the rootball. But the tapering root ball minimizes its surface area. This part will break away from the surrounding soil fairly easily as it will likely only have a few smaller roots. If it contains a large root it may require some additional digging. In this case it's best to dig an adjacent hole OUTSIDE OF THE ROOT BALL in order to give the spade (or a pruning saw or loppers) deeper access in order to cut the root. Whatever you do, DO NOT DISTURB, CUT INTO, OR APPLY PRESSURE to the root ball that would cause it to break apart. If the "cookie cutting" process is well done, it will make lifting and moving the tree a breeze.

When the root ball is completely severed it's time to begin the somewhat delicate process of "prying" it out of the ground. It will be useful to have two or three helpers. Using at least two, but better, three shovels uniformly spaced around the cut line, insert them into the cut and with all shovels, simultaneously try to pry the root ball up and out of the ground. Begin this slowly and you can tell if the root ball seems solid and will able to withstand the uniform prying forces. If so, lift it out and lay it on its side on the waiting tarp. Do not manhandle the trunk in the process, but support it throughout the lifting process so that it doesn't shift or move relative to the root ball. (If the root ball shows signs of wanting to break or fall apart, the only solution is to leave it further untouched and excavate a circular channel (about 18" width) completely around it. (Place the excavated dirt on yet another tarp.) This will expose the root ball and allow for it to be tightly wrapped in burlap. Hopefully, this will not happen as it's another process requiring an explanation that's harder to describe than it is to do!

Once the tree is on a tarp, sling fashion, with helpers, lift it and transport it to the new planting location. Do not drag it across the ground as the trip will likely vibrate the root ball apart. Make sure the new hole accommodates the tree to the correct depth as once you place it in the hole, you'll not have the opportunity to remove it. Well, any additional handling will greatly increase the chances for the root ball breaking apart. Once it's in the hole, rotate it so that it's best face is to the street and then backfill and water it in.

One day, in another thread, I will try to describe the process of moving much larger trees by non-mechanical means. It's the process that professional nurserymen would have used in the old days to hand dig trees even into the 20' to 25' height range. Two guys could do this in two or three hours, including getting the tree out of the hole.

Not sure how big you are with the color wheel but since your house is more purple and mauve, yellow and green will be the colors that pop.

I'll tell you, I'm no designer but perhaps this might be helpful. I like to figure out my sight lines and bed shapes. Then I determine what my larger specimen plants are going to be (green stars in the pic). Then I fill in the plants later in stages. Whether its right or wrong, I don't know but it works for me.

I just freehanded this in paint so its just a rough view.

If fall color isn't that big of deal for you the Espresso Coffeetree sure is a nice one. Male selection that doesn't have the seed pods. Turish Filbert is another interesting selection with very cool bark.

Do you want a plant zoo?

Do you want shade?

Do you want privacy?

Do you want a place to put a flower bed?

Do you want a Christmas light display worthy of a 100,000 views on YouTube?

Do you want a place for a topiary dragon?

Deciding what you want from the space is where the planning starts. If it fulfills those wants, it's properly planned. If it doesn't, it fails.

Though many people on the forum seem to like and accept them, personally, I do not care for the "plant zoos." I see them as gardening, not landscaping. If a garden is well maintained (which they are usually not) I can see how people can pull them off in the front yard, if well organized, because plants are just pretty. Most motorcycle manufacturers create an object of beauty by covering all of the ugly "workings" with gorgeous housings and cowlings. Harley Davidson, on the other hand, creates beauty by turning each of the "ugly workings" into jewelry... with lots of chrome. A garden is kind of like that. Each plant is like a piece of jewelry. But it takes someone who has the desire to maintain all that jewelry to keep it looking good. If a person doesn't have that desire, all those pieces of "jewelry" tend to turn quickly into the equivalent of rusty scrap.

A landscaping scheme that became popular in the 1970's (best I can tell) and has not yet run its course is the idea of swamping and engulfing paved areas with beds. In the designers mind they might be quite enthralling (as it's more places to put plants!) but to my thinking it is almost the antithesis of an "invitation." Maybe these beds are not maintained as the designer envisions them. Everywhere I've lived I see them turning, not into "welcome invitations," but into foreboding barricades that deliver the message "stay away." I know I can drive through any neighborhood that is 15 years old and see one after the other of these.

Yardvaark--you describe me perfectly! I have the ultimate plant zoo, only specks of grass on 3 acres, and trying hard to rid myself of the last blades. I'm not worried about welcoming--my "compound" is surrounded by an 8' deer fence with gate across the driveway. Nobody is welcome unless we want them to come in :) You are correct--I collect plants, I don't landscape. I am much more interested in what each plant does than how they look together. My only choices are what do I plant and where, with ground/shrub/tall shrub/tree as my "levels" to plant. But that's me. I am just here to give Smitty free plants, while you folks need to take them and make them a landscape!

Welcome to the Jungle!

By the way Tilia tomentosa 'Sterling Silver' is resistant to japanese bettles. They have thicker leaves. I had one for 4 years before I moved and it was never touched.

Whaas--that is Cornus controversa 'Variegata'. Also, good to know at least some Tilia are resistant to JB's.

If the city is offering the street trees, I'd go with the Chinkapin Oak. They are very fast growing, with awesome leaves. It makes a great tree for the front yard.

1. I am hesitant to put another oak out for a parkway tree as ours and the neighbor on the corner are both oaks (at least I think theirs is an oak = still has last year's dead leaves). Our city has planted the various species listed above throughout our subdivision so neighbors trees are usually varied. I am going to order it myself as the city only pays half and wants over a $100 per tree.

2. Any suggestions on what to plant where the redbud is now (we are going to transplant it to the backyard). Something with fall and spring interest would be great.

3. When I transplant the balsam further away from the driveway, should I plant it closer towards the house (further from the street) also? Should I consider adding another balsam closer to the house (same distsnce from the driveway) to create some privacy and variation between neighbors?

4. I don't think we will be moving the weeping cherry. If it dies my wife will not be happy and she already thinks my landscaping plans are quite ambitious. Hopefully not moving it isn't too big of a deal.

5. Any suggestions on what kind of trees to plant along both sides of the house? Any ideas on what I should do with the knockout roses (we just planted them last summer and we really like them).

Thanks as always!

What do you want from your front yard?

Not what do the people in the Tree forum want from your front yard, or the other people in this forum, but *you*. You are the one who is going to be spending the money, doing the work, and living with the results. Yes, there are things that are not going to work because the plants get too big, or aren't suited to the spot. So once they die, or become massive, you deal with it.

Years ago, there was a brokerage commercial that started out with dead silence. Then the announcer talked about how their brokers start by listening to the client. What does the client want from their money? What are the client's dreams about what they can do if they had more money? It seems we skipped that step here. Besides a home somewhere for the current plant collection, what else should this yard be doing?

Possibilities of a tree to replace the redbud include star magnolia or corneliancherry dogwood, kousa dogwood.

Possibilities of trees for the sides include tree lilac, saucer magnolia, crab, redbud. There are more possibilities for either of these locations, but that's a start.

Because the balsam will get very large, I don't think I'd move it closer to the house.

Re-evaluate the cherry in 10 or 15 years. Or mark out a 20' diameter circle around the trunk. (Because it's weeping, chances are that you'd want the foliage to hang somewhat low.) Stand back and visualize how this 25' ht. x 20' spread tree will make the approach to the house look. I'm thinking that it will "eat" the portion of the house right of the entry thereby making the garage appear as 60% of the house instead of 40%.

Roses could go in back below one of the sets of windows, near the deck, or as a shrub group somewhere along the border.

On the left, if you want small trees to be further from house consider a scheme where bed is bumped out further and a pathway crosses it.

Since I'm not in the zone where it lives, I don't have personal knowledge of this cultivar so can't speak to its ultimate size. If the size information is coming from an arboretum, horticulturalist, arborist or source like that, it might be accurate. My experience has it that whatever size information is stated in the nursery marketing information is almost always understated. (And this information tends to be repeated verbatim forever.) Everyone wants smaller plants as there is less trimming to do. Growers tend to say their plants will grow to half the size they really will become. Telling people what they want to hear sells more plants. Until a plant becomes well known and can be observed over some years, it's speculation about the ultimate size.

As long as the plant has not leafed out I wouldn't consider a move high risk.

This is just a guess, but if the cherry has not grown much in 5 years and the redbud has not performed as well as you think it should, I'm wondering if these plants are getting sufficient water during dry periods while they are in the first two years of becoming established. This can make a big difference. This is not an accusation as I have no idea. I'm just speculating as to a possible cause. But making a concerted effort to see that dryness does not endure for any new plant for any length of time might get them to perform better. If so, this does not mean go overboard in the opposite direction and keep the soil wet. It just means don't let it get too dry.

Typical Saucer Mag....

Karin L

On the right side of the house, Japanese tree lilac would work well. Or maybe a matched set of larger viburnums. On left side, not so big of viburnums or regular lilacs. Or compact Burning Bush grown in the tree form are some possibilities (all matched sets, of course.) I don't know where to suggest for moving roses. You might leave until later when some spot calls out to you.

1. Right now I am planning Nannyberry (viburnum) on one of the sides of the house (group of three). Which side would be better for these (left side is north.....so shady, and narrower; right side is sunny (south) and a little wider)? Is these a different viburnum better suited? Can I limb up viburnums to make them more tree like and allow more room underneath to walk?

2. One of the plans above proposed widening the bed on the left side. Right now the bed is built up and is edged with retaining block. Should I make the entire wider bed raised? What about on the left side?

Thanks in advance!

"Should I make the entire wider bed raised? What about on the left side?" I would make the entire bed wider because typical landscape plants don't generally grow in such tight confinement. (And a skinny bed doesn't set off a big house as the best fit.) They will ignore your skinny space and bulge over the top. It would look better if the bed were sized for the plants that were designed into it. Reviewing the picture where I revamped the bed, my re-do looks more realistically sized, I think. One could even make it wider (but then, there's the lot line to not forget about.) As far as left side of house, the grade seems to be making no request for a raised bed. Better not to impose something that's not called for.

(As a side note, I was in your region a couple of weeks ago. It's surprising how pretty the Illinois winter countryside can look to someone who doesn't see it much. Compared to Florida, the winter cold does an amazing job of making things look CLEAN. Here, old looking leaves hang on all winter and the Spanish moss and other things can look pretty ragged. By comparison, Illinois looked sparkling to me. It makes me wish I had the opportunity to design landscapes especially FOR winter in a deciduous environment. Though I don't want to live there because of the cold!)

What are your thoughts on three dogwoods or japanese maples on one or both of the sides? I've been researching shrubs/trees and it looks like these two might be possible too.

Glad you got to see the midwest recently! I know we're sick of the cold are ready for Spring!!!

On another subject... I was going to post a couple of pictures with information of how you go about converting the thickets of birch into multi-trunk trees. My effort is dragging because I swapped computers and pictures like that are on the old computer (that I've become afraid to turn on as it's so on its last legs.) I guess don't hold your breath waiting, but someday I will try to pass on information about creating and cleaning up multi-trunk trees. If you want it.

Also, as you expand the raised bed area, I presume you'll be needing a few more block...? In that case, if it were me, for the expansion I'd use the top row of block that you are using currently for the expansion. Then I'd find some cap block that would work with what you have and use that for the top course. A solid cap block would look much classier than just ending the top layer as it currently is. It's as though by looking at the top of the block, we can peek into the guts of the wall (and it's not that pretty.) A cap would dress and finish it.

The fence I am planning will be a foot taller (5'), will have wider boards with rounded or squared tops, and will have slightly narrower spaces in between. I think this fence will provide more privacy yet still allow some airflow and openness. I'll try to find a picture of what i am thinking tomorrow and post it. The gate will be located at the southwest corner (further away from the house). I am still undecided if I will build it out of cedar or pressure treated lumber. I really like the arbor idea but it may have to wait until later depending on price. Is this something we could add later? I would imagine the gate on the other side of the house will get more use as it is already being used.

There is already a cap on the top of the retaining wall (far left of pictures....last cap on right is missing). The caps are trapezoid and I do not like the way they look at all but not sure what else to do (I am not even that big a fan of the color and style of the retaining wall itself but it was not that expensive when I built it a couple of years ago).

As always I am appreciative of any and all suggestions.

I plan on building one or two sections at a time, starting with the fence in the pictures above seperating the back and side yards.

I plan on building one or two sections at a time, starting with the fence in the pictures above seperating the back and side yards.

I know you have a lot of empty space in the yard. As a reminder, I'm not keeping track of what ended up where or what has lived and died. I recall some of the earlier conversation where I was encouraging you to "keep it simple" and some others were encouraging you to add a lot of variety. To be sure, there is a balance that will suit you and it is probably somewhere in between. I'd say that if the basis of the design keeps the geometry strong, simple and bold, there will be plenty of places where you can "sprinkle some spice" and a lot of it can be added any time later without detriment to the overall geometry. While there are some exceptions, most of the plants in a landscape will be multiples of something ... not one-of-a-kinds.Since the packaged plants are inexpensive, I would get them so that you could get to know them. Anything you really like and want to fit in somewhere, you may need more of it later. You may be able to use the initial plant as a source to produce more. On that list, you could try everything with the exception of the Wisteria. It needs a stout structure to grow on so would require planning ahead and construction. (I'm not sure how it does there. It's probably much less rambunctious than in the South.) The Clematis will need something to grow on, too, but it would be modest compared to what the Wisteria requires. It helps to know how the plants appear and behave in order to pick good spots for them. You might make your best guess as to where they should go, but keeping in mind that you might later be using them to hone and polish your transplanting skills. Keeping them in the garage until ground thaw is fine.

Lily of the valley did very well on the north side of our house in DeKalb. It was a nice groundcover, though non-existent in winter. Tree peonies ... a must have. Wasn't there some place near your back deck that would be good for Lilac ... another "must have" for Illinois. The 'Pink Diamond' Hydrangea seems like it would be worth trying. The 'Annabelle' would be good in the back yard where you spoke, but probably several ... whatever fits the space. I think it might be a little large for either side of the front door unless you push it off to each side, as such...

In the front we will rearrange the yews as previously suggested. The two knockout roses to the left of the front door will be transplanted to the back of the house, one of the yews will be moved from the right side to left, and a fourth yew will be purchased for the left. The bed on the left will be redone so that the retaining wall mirrors the curve of the sidewalk. We are still trying to decide if annabelle hydrangeas should be added or placed elsewhere (maybe on the left side of house by gate?). We still need to pick a shrub/perennial to "frame" the front door.

We are planning on planting a red oak to the left of the driveway along the parkway. I was able to prune the redbud like this:

After looking closer at the retaining wall cap, I think that ever other one should be flipped so that the angles "fit together". I know I tried this when I installed it, but it didn't work so well on the curved sections. Not sure how to handle these sections.

Thanks as always for advice/help!

I could not sleep at night if I had a bed line like yours at the left of the entrance. It is wiggly worm homely! I've commented on it before and maybe I can persuade you to change it since you seem to be warming into a garden makeover mood. If you don't like either of my prior suggestions, come up with something clean and simple, integrated with the right side as if it all were a single retaining wall that happens to be penetrated by a walk and stoop.

We're having a late cold snap. 60* today. Brrrr!

1. Plant three viburnums 'Blackhaws' (I already ordered and received these three) on the south side of the house (right side) and plant a mixture of azeleas/rhododendrons, hydrangeas and hostas on the north side (left). In this case, maybe plant a magnolia 'Jane' tree at the northwest corner of the garage?

2. Plant the viburnum 'Blackhaws' on the north side (I'm a bit concerned about their size) and plant three magnolia 'Janes' on the south side.

Any feedback is appreciated!

I don't have the advantage of knowing what you're using for a final plan, but you should have some plan drawn to scale that shows what your going to put in the bed and how you're going to arrange it. (Here, I think we only have words.) The widest part of the bed should be sized to accommodate the trees you're planning on using. In other words, you wouldn't want to squeeze trees into a narrow portion of the bed and use the wide part only for perennials. The bed should look like a properly sized tree container. (We know that you're probably growing "half" trees ... where the back side is cut off because the house is there. So the container is not trying to contain full 360* specimens.) So far, I think it looks good and is a marked improvement over the pinched planting bed that used to be there. Make sure to view it from the street, also, as you establish the layout. Overall, it's a big improvement!

Below is an updated plan showing how I plan on laying out the two sides of the house.

The bed shape at the left could be refined to look more like it is in the same curve family as the curve on the right. Don't pinch the Rhodo/Azalea bed to tightly. Give it a little more space from the house. Maybe this is just the drawing and in real life you'd adjust. I'm just saying in case.

Also, I plan on making the bed to the left of the front door (between the door and garage wall) to mirror the sidewalk. Any suggestions on what to plant in this bed (we currently have knockout roses which could be moved to back of the house)? Thanks!

One tip for re-do of retaining wall at left of walk. It looks like there's not much grade change to retain ... as if the purpose of the "wall" is more of an attempt to keep the theme going that was started with the retaining wall at the right of walk. Both walls seem to meet the walk at the same elevation, but at the left side, that wall seems to climb one more course as it approaches the garage ... yet the grade is not climbing. I would not try to create fake grade by having a retaining wall that is basically "empty" of what it's supposed to be retaining. It's better to have that left retaining wall just be an "edging" if that's all the grade there is to retain. Creating "fake" grade makes it look gimmicky. It will look fine to stay basically level.

On the bed to the left of the front door, I should keep the height of the retaining wall level with that on the right side, correct? Should the retaining wall block be right against the edge concrete of the sidewalk (no more grass). Any suggestions on what might look good in this corner? It gets extrememly hot in summer because of the afternoon summer sun. I do plan on running drip tubing for irrigation in the next month or so to this bed so water shouldn't be an issue anymore.

Thanks again!

Earlier, I made A suggestion of how you might rebuild the "retaining wall" at left of walk. In contradiction to that suggestion, it could be carried straight across instead, or a variation of that. Since it's a relatively minor "wall," you might lay it out it any of the possible ways and appraise which you think is best.

1. Plant a small magnolia ('Jane' or 'Susan'). The location is ideal as it is protected from both north winds and early morning sun. It would also be a nice focal tree in spring (I've seen them planted in similiar locations in surrounding neighborhoods). However, I'm afraid it might be too big for this area (especially with the overhang) and might take away from our stone work on our house.
2. Leave the two knockout roses and plant perennials in front of them.
3. Plant two yews to match those to the right of the front door and plant short perennials in front.
4. Plant hydrangea bushes in the back and perennials in front.

This area gets VERY hot in summer as it faces the west and the afternoon sun reflecting off the house really bakes the area. I will be running a drip line here so watering shouldn't be an issues. Any suggestions are welcome!